


Paint, Coffee & Symphonies

by rainsoakedshoes



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Artist Allison, Artist Derek, Artists, Classical Music, Coffee, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 17:37:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3659211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainsoakedshoes/pseuds/rainsoakedshoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What the hell are you doing?” Allison demanded. She looked up to see a man staring down at her. His hand was still on her arm, and there were flecks of white paint in his beard, and a smudge of blue on his cheekbone. </p>
<p>Allison saw his mouth move, but realised that the music was still playing in her ears. With her free hand Allison removed her headphones. “Sorry, what?” </p>
<p>“I said: you were about to drink your paint water.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paint, Coffee & Symphonies

**Author's Note:**

> another fic inspired by a prompt from [this list](http://heavenlyhale.tumblr.com/post/114982760132/tofixtheshadows-college-aus-are-cool-but-you) since art school AUs give me life. 
> 
> All of the music that Allison listens to through this are songs that I listened to while writing this and decided to incorporate them in. You can find the playlist I was listening to [here](http://8tracks.com/aertimis/carnegie)

_Procession of the Nobles_ played through Allison’s headphones as she worked on the painting in front of her. She had the music up so loud that she couldn’t hear anything else.

Allison loved to listen to classical orchestral pieces while she painted. The instrumental compositions helped her focus and kept her calm.

Although she was currently the furthest thing from calm.

She was working on a huge piece – quite literally, the square canvas was taller than she was – which was for school, and the end of the semester was rapidly approaching.

Allison sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her canvas. She had her paints and palette spread out on her left side, her coffee cup and jar of paint water were sitting on her other side.

A half-finished portrait of a young woman looked down at Allison. Her curled hair fell down over her shoulders in perfect locks, what Allison had finished of her makeup was flawless, and there was blood dripping from her mouth and down her chin.

Allison’s inspiration had been _‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’_. People told her that it looked like a self-portrait. Allison always laughed at them and told them they were wrong. She’d even used a photo of Lydia as a reference for her initial sketches.

Allison was determined to finish the blood today. In the coming days she would be standing on a chair to get the angle she wanted to finish the woman’s forehead.

Allison and her canvas were set up in the back of the art studio, and Allison had her back to the door. She got the best light that way, and her painting wasn’t in anyone’s way.

The downside to having her back to her door, her music so loud, and being so consumed with her art, was that Allison wasn’t aware of who was in the studio with her.

There were usually other people around. They were in and out, working on their projects between their other classes and on their days off. Allison was much the same. She was there because she had a whole day free to herself, and instead of sleeping like her friends had suggested, she was working on her portrait.

_Procession of the Nobles_ finished and the fourth movement of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 started to play in Allison’s ears. The sweeping music settled her anxiety and she dipped her brush in the paint.

Without looking Allison reached down beside her to pick up her coffee. She had the mug halfway to her mouth when a hand grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“What the hell are you doing?” Allison demanded. She looked up to see a man staring down at her. His hand was still on her arm. There were flecks of white paint in his beard, and a smudge of blue on his cheekbone.

Allison saw his mouth move, but realised that the music was still playing in her ears. With her free hand Allison removed her headphones. “Sorry, what?”

“I said: you were about to drink your paint water.”

Allison put the name to the face. _Derek._ They were in the same class and had only spoken a few times before.

Allison looked down at the jar in her hand. “Oh.”

“You’re welcome,” Derek said when Allison didn’t say anything else. He finally took his hand off her arm, and Allison put the jar of water back down on the ground.

“Was there something you wanted?” Allison asked. She was tired and sore from sitting and painting all day, and she couldn’t make herself care about sounding rude.

Derek shook his head. “I was just watching you paint.”

That wasn’t particularly weird, most of the class took time out to watch each other work and give encouragement and advice when needed. Allison was a little surprised that Derek had taken time from his own project to watch her work. He had never seemed incredibly approachable or social, preferring to work with headphones in and ignore the rest of the class, and the world in general. He and Allison had that in common.

“By the way if you were going for your coffee it looks like you’re out,” Derek told her.

Allison glanced at her mug. Derek was right about that too; the coffee mug was empty. When had she finished that?

Derek turned to leave Allison alone, but then stopped himself. “Listen,” he said. “I was just about to run down to get a cup of coffee. Do you want me to grab you a fresh cup?”

Allison considered his offer for a moment, then nodded. “Sure.” She leaned over her paints to where her bag was sitting on the ground, and she pulled out her purse.

Derek tried to refuse the ten dollar bill was proffered to him. But Allison wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“What do you want?” Derek asked.

“Medium latte.” Allison looked at her painting and took in everything she still needed to do. “Better make that a large.”

Derek huffed out a small laugh and dipped his head. “You got it.”

As Derek walked away Allison tucked one earbud back into her ear. _Dance of the Knights_ from Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet was playing.

*

Allison was waiting for Derek to return, so he didn’t sneak up on her this time. She set down her paint brush as Derek walked up beside her.

Derek handed Allison her latte and her ten dollar bill. Allison rolled her eyes, but slipped the bill into the pocket of her jacket.

Allison took a sip of her drink, and the hot coffee made her feel better. For cheap campus coffee it was surprisingly good.

“Thanks,” Allison said. She stood up shook out her limbs a little.

“She’s beautiful,” Derek said, nodding at Allison’s painting.

“People keep telling me she looks like me,” Allison told him.

“She kind of does,” Derek nodded.

“It’s not a self-portrait.” Allison only just stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

“That’s not what I meant.” With his free hand Derek pointed at the portrait. “It’s in her eyes, and in the set of her jaw. She’s pissed. Furious at whoever’s wronged her. But there’s this gleam in her eye, and you can tell she’s loving every second.”

Allison leaned back and examined her painting. She had been going for pissed off, but Derek was right, there was something about her that looked almost joyous.

“And that makes her look like me?” Allison asked.

Derek took a sip of his coffee and nodded. “It reminds me of how you look when you paint. You manage to look angry and happy at the same time.” There was a moment of silence then Derek found the word he had been looking for. “Determined.”

Allison looked at Derek to find him looking not at her painting, but straight at her. She felt her cheeks burn.

Derek noticed the earbud that was still in Allison’s ear. “What are you listening to?”

Allison checked her phone to make sure before answering. “The Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5,” she said and Derek hummed. “Do you know it?”

Derek nodded again. “It’s a lovely piece. I’d say it suits you and your painting but.” Derek trailed off with a shrug.

“But what?” Allison asked.

“But considering the blood, maybe Ride of the Valkyries would fit even better.”

Allison laughed and shook her head.

“Or,” Derek continued. “Maybe Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Like, the ending. Where they’re firing cannons.”

Allison elbowed Derek jokingly in the side.  

“I should let you get back to painting.” Derek paused. “But if you feel like taking a break I’m right over there.”

Derek pointed over to where his canvas was and Allison looked over her shoulder, following his line of sight.

Derek’s canvas wasn’t as tall as Allison’s was, but it was at least as wide. Derek had painted a detailed forest landscape. The edges of the painting were dark, muted colours, which got brighter towards the centre of the painting and the path that drew the eye to the heart of it.

Allison nodded. “Thanks again,” she said. “For the coffee.”

“Anytime,” Derek told her, and walked over to his own painting.

Allison painted for another hour before she set her brushes down and joined Derek by his canvas. Without a word Derek offered her one of his headphones, and she accepted it.

Derek explained the concept behind his painting to Allison while the two of them listened to _Jupiter_ from The Planets by Holtz.

**Author's Note:**

> The full title for movement 4 of The Planets by Holtz is "Jupiter the Bringer Jollity". For those of you who don't know, jollity means lively and cheerful celebration. I felt like that was a a rather nice note to end this fic on. 
> 
> im on [tumblr](http://heavenlyhale.tumblr.com/) you guys should come say hi


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